Window frame and sash construction



April 28, 1931- E. P. HUTTGER WINDOW FRAME AND SASH CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 28, 1930 INVENTOR. ldwar'dpjutyen BY A TTORNEYS.

PIl 28, 1931- E. P. HUTTGl-:R

WINDOW FRAME AND SASH CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 28, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EdwardP/-fut/den BY A TTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 28, 1931 imitan STATES Artnr orion EDWARD P. HUTTGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO ALEXANDER J. GIBSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA WINDOW FRAME AND SASH CONSTRUCTION Application iled August 28, 1930. Serial No. 478,372.

My invention relates to impro-vements in window frame and sash construction and in means for supporting the sashes in their frames, and is adapted particularly for employment in a metal double-hung window comprising a pair of sashes vertically slidable in their frame and maintained in the desired vertical position therein with the aid of suitable counterweights.

It Vhas heretofore been the practice in the metal double-hung window art to provide a counterweight adjacent each side of each of the sashes and respectively secured thereto by a flexible chain, cable or the like extendf ing over a sheave in the top of the frame,

whereby each counterweight is effective to counterbalance, and thereby support, approximately one-half the weight of the sash to which it is secured, the guides for retaining the sashes usually comprising grooves running substantially the length of the window frame and interconnected through a chamber in the latter or otherwise. In such construction, however, the passage of air through and between the portions of the grooves unoccupied by the sashes and thus from one side of the window to the -other is substantially unavoidable. v

My invention therefore comprises means whereby a metal double-hung window may be made substantially airtight, that is, so arranged that the guideways provided for the respective sashes are not interconnected whereby there can be substantially no leakage from one side of the window to the other.

Additionally, I have provided by my invention means whereby'the respective sashes in a double-hung window are each supported individually from one of the frame'mernbers and I am thus able to employ but a single counterweight for each sash so that the sash supporting and counterbalancing mechanisms for the respective sashes may each be separately enclosetL within one of the fraine members and thus made substantially independent of the other, although it will of course be understood that-a guide is provided in the opposite side frame member for eachv of the sashes.

A principal object of my invention there- Y sashes may be afforded vertical support substantially entirely from one lateral edge thereof and the mechanism necessary for this purpose may therefore be disposed in one, only, of the lateral frame members,'the other lateral frame member being employed solely as a guide for the sash; one of the sashes is therefore, in my preferred construction, supported by mechanism disposed in one of the lateral frame members and the other sash supported by similar mechanism disposed in the other of the frame members.

A further obj ect of my invention is to provide meanswhereby the respective sashes may be prevented from falling when, for example, their supporting mechanisms become non-operative through breakage or for Vany other reason.

A still further ob] ct of niy invention is to provide a double-hung window in which the sashes may be more readily slidable, and the window therefore more -easily opened and closed than those which have heretofore been devised. f

Other purposes, objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter be more specitically pointed out or will appear from the following description of certain forms thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In the said drawings, Fig. l is a fragmentary front elevation of a double-hung window constructed in accordance-with a preferred embodiment of my invention, certain parts being broken away forthe salte of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a composite horizontal section of the construction shown in Fig. l, although I have indicated no section lines therein for the reason that the view shown in Fig. k2 comsill 6. The members and 6 may be of any..

usual or desired construction, and the particular arrangement thereof forms no part of t-he present invention. The lateral frame members 3, 4 are in general substantially similar but reversed in arrangement, and each comprises a vertically extending hollow chamber 7 within which the counterbalancing mechanism is disposed. The frame member 3 at the left hand side of the window as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a. metal housing, which may be suitably formed to give an attractive appearance, and is provided on its inner face with a vertically eX- tending guide strip 9 of section substantially as indicated in Fig. 2; this strip is preferably formed of relatively heavy steel and secured at its `respective endsy to the lintel and sill. a flange 1.0 extending longitudinally thereof which is disposed adjacent and parallel to the inturned flange 11 of the housing whereby a vertically extending guideway is formed between the flanges and 11 of a width sulficient to accommodate the marginal portion of the upper sash 1 which is inserted ther-ein. The guide strip is also provided with a channel gui'deway 13 adapted to receive the marginal portion of thelower sash 2 and with a rib or flange 14 to insure desired rigidity of the strip. A plate 15 forming a part of theV inner wall of the frame member 3 is removably secured to the strip 9 by means of the screws 16 and is held in place. at the inside corner of the frame member by means of an interlocking conformation of their respective edges, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

In the window construction which I have indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer or upper sash 1 is adapted to be supported from mechanism enclosed within the frame member 3. rlhis sash comprises the laterally spaced glazing channel members 17, 18, the former of which extends through the guideway between the flanges 10, 11 and the latter of which is received in a suitable channel 19 in the fra-me member 4, the said guideway and channel providing guides for the vertical movementofy the sash. lithin the frame member 3 I dispose a plate 20, nuts 21 being preferably welded thereto in registry with holes through the plate ,and through the inner portion of the The guide strip 9 is provided withV glazing strip 17; these nuts are adapted to receive cap screws 22 whereby the plate 20 is removably secured to the glazing member 17. If desired, bronze or other relatively soft metal weather stripping l/V may be secured to the sashes or to the frame in any convenient way.

Adjacent the inner edge of the plate relatively near the top thereof and secured thereto by welding or otherwise as desired, is a strap 24, and between the latter and the plate 20 is disposed a roller 25 mounted for rotation on a shaft 26; this roller may desirably be the outer raceof. a ball or other antifriction bearing carried by the shaft. A locking cam 27, desirably provided with teeth on its camming surface, is also disposed'withinthe-strap Vand supported on a squared shaft 28 on the protruding end of which a lug 29 is secured as by a driving fit, a pin 30 being provided as additional security against rotation of the lug29 on the shaftwhich is, of course, made cylindricalwhere it bears in the-plate and strap. Between an outwardly extending arm 31 on the cam 27 and a convenientpoint on the plate 2O is'eXtended a coil spring 32 o-perative to urge the cam to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1. Ad. jacent the lower end of the plate 2O I-provide` a similar but shorterstrap 35adapted to y"support a similar roller36.

A channel rail 37 is'secured, preferably; by. welding, to the inside of the outer face'ofthe.V

frame. member 3 and the respective longitudinal ribs thereof provide ways along which the rollers 25 and 36 operate when the sash is moved vertically in the frame, thus enabling it to be readily raised or lowered without jamming or sticking, and with but a minimum of friction.

Adjacent the top of the frame member 3 I 'provide'the usual pulley or sheave 38 over which is run a tension element 39, which may be a chain, cable or the like, secured at its opposite ends respectively to the lug 29 on the sash and to a counterweight 40 disposed in the chamber 7 in the frame member, thel weight being substantially effective to counterbalance the sash and associated par-ts to permit them to be moved either up or down relatively easily and ,ordinarily to prevent the sash from falling when it is placed in the desired position.

Asthe'lug 29 and the cam 27 are secured together in non-rotatable relation the spring 32 is ordinarily held eXtended'by the tension of the chain or cable 39 on the lug 29, but if the pull of the cable on the lug 29 isreleased as, for example, by breakage of the cable, the spring 32 is effective to rotate the cam 27 very rapidly and rthus bring its serrated face intoA immediate engagement with the channel rail V37, the teeth insuring a biting contact and preventing slipping of the cam; the sash is thereby prevented from falling and immediately locked substantially in the" position formerly held when it was being supported by the cable before breakage of the' latter. It will be notedvthat the sole duty of the spring 32 is to rotate the cam, after breakage of the cable, sufficiently to bring its serrated face into engagement with the channel rail; thereafter the downward movement of the window progressively increases the jamming action between the cam and the rail until the window is brought to rest.

I have hereinabove described particularly the left hand portion of the sash construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and as related especially to the outer sash 1, but it will'be readily7 understood from the drawings that substantially similar means for supporting the inner sash 2 are provided in the right hand frame member 4 and it is believed that no additional description thereof is required inasmuch as these constructions are substantially identical except for certain dierences necessitated by the different relation of the sash and the frame. Thus it will be noted that the guide strip 9`may be omitted entirely and the channel 19, generally corresponding to the channel guideway 13, formed directly in the body of the frame member, while the plate 2() is offset in the opposite direction from the corresponding plate on the other side so as to bring the rollers 25 and 36 into proper relation with the adj aeent channel rail. Y

In Fig. 3 I have shown a somewhat modified embodiment of my invention in which vertical sash guides 10V', 13', outside the frame members, are vprovided by welding spaced strips onto the face of the frame member, but otherwise the structure is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 2 and, it is believed, requires no further description.

vVYl ile l prefer to utilize the channel rails 37 androllers 25 and 36 for cooperation therewith, under certain circumstances I may employ pipes or rods in lieu of the former and vertically spaced sleeves or yokes slidable'thereon in lieu of the rollers, or substitute for the rollers suitable slide blocks adapted to move inthe channel rails, as will be readily understood. y

From an inspection of Figs. 2 and 3 it will be understood that while in the sash and window construction of my invention the inner chamber in the left hand frame member o in which the mechanism supporting the outer sash is enclosed is o ento the atmos- 7 in any way in communication with the 1nentirely sealed against entrance of airfromy outside the building. Y

Furthermore, access to the interior of either frame member may readily be obtained by takino' off the plate 15, and the plates 2O may thus be disconnected from their respective sash by removal of the cap screws 22 with the aid of an ordinary screw driver. The outer sash 1 may thus be readily removed from the frame since the guideway between the flanges 10 and 11 is desirably of suflicient width to permit the sash, whenthus released from the plate 20, to be moved laterally thereinto a suicient distance for the member 18 to clear its guideway 19 and then be swung out--A Moreover, due largely to the preferredemployment of vertically spaced antifriction bearings and the utilization of but a single counterweight for each sash, a window con structed in accordance with my invention may be more readily opened and closed and thus is much more satisfactory in practical use than windows heretofore employed, while many advantages in structural details and ease and cheapness of manufacture will be apparent tothose familiar with the art.

While I have herein described and illustrated with considerable particularity certain embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not thereby desire or intend to limit or confine myself specifically thereto, as many changes and modifications in the design, construction, and arrangement of the several parts and elements thereof will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined'in the appended claims, while the use ofthe invention is not confined to windows embodying.

llO

claimv and desire to protect .by Letters Patent;

of theUnited States:

1. In a Window frame and sash. construction comprising avertically disposedframe member and a sash, a countervveight disposed.

in ythe frame member, a channel rail disposed Within said member, and means cooperative' With the counterweight and the rail to afford vertical support to said sash.

2. In awindow frame and sash construc-` tion, a frame member, a channel rail carried. thereby, a pair of spaced rollers'operatively disposed Within said channel rail, a Window sash, means connecting'the rollers and the sash, and a counterweight operat-ively asso.-

ciated with said connecting means and adapt'-v ed to substantially counterbalance said sash.

and associated parts.

3. In a Window trame and sash construe.-

tion, a rotatable shaft carried by one ofA the saslies, a lug supported on the shaftA in nonrotatable relation thereto, atension member: secured to said lug and operative to normally support said sash, a cam carried by said shaft and in non-rotatable relation with said lug,

a rail carried by the frame, and a spring operative to urge said cam into engagement with said rail upon Jfailure of the tension member to support the sash.

4. In a Window frame and sash construction, a locking cam carried by one of the sashes, means adapted for engagement by the cam, a lug securedk in non-rotatable relation` to the cam, a counterweight disposed iny one -of the frame members, tension means interconnecting said lug and said counterweightV Wherebysaid cam is normally maintained in non-operative position', and means operative upon release of said tension means to move the cam into engagement with said first men-- tioned means to lock the sash against downward movement in the frame.

5. A window frame constructioncomprising a pair ot Vsashes, a pair'of vertical -frame -members enclosing hollow chambers, a guidee Wayin each of said frame members communieating With the yadjacent chamber, guiding' means carried by each of said frame members opposite the guideway in the other member, each of said sashes being extendedinto one of saidV guideWays and into one of said guid ing means respectively at its opposite edges, and means adjacent each of the guideways for aording the sole vertical support to the. sash extendingtherein. y

6. In. a Window frame andsasli construcf tion, a vertically extending frame member having a guideway aording communication With the interior thereof, a sash having anv extension projecting into the guideway, a vertically extending rail Within ythe member, means carried by the sash extension and cooperative With the rail for maintaining the sash in substantially horizontal position throughoutits` range yof the vertical' movement', and. a: counterweight: interconnect'ed:' with thee sash; for.- .substantially counterbal-f ancing the: Weightthereofr 7 In avvindow frameandsash Constr-ud.` tion, ai vertically extending'rame member having a guideway; affording `communication' With the interior thereof, asashhaving'an. extension projecting-.into the guidexvay,ta..

vertically extending rail Within'. the member, means. carried vby the; sash extension andncooperative with the rail for. maintaining, the. sash. in substantially horizontal. position throughout. its range of.' the .i vertical move:

ment, a: counterweight interconnected; Witlifz the.v sash for' substantially counterbalancing.

the .Weight Vthereof-f,` and. means-f carriedby the f opposite. frame member fformingaguideffor;

the. adjacent edge of? the: sash:

8.. A'. Windowfframe Vand sash construction" comprisingfa pair i of; laterally"spaced,-` ver.- ticallyy disposed. rameamembers,` each 'of said.. members: having a guideway. extending. through: itsiwall and communicatingmith:rits

interior, a verticallyE` lextending channel rail disposed Within. each member vadjacent the. guideway, -a pair of 'sashesfdisposed between:

the members and provided. With'. extensions respectively projectingg'throughvv the guide# ways in the framemembersgrollers disposed adjacent the upper and; lowenends ofeach extension vand cooperative `with the; adjacent channel rail to maintain the sash in substanl tially horizontal position throughout its range of verticalmovement, a counterWeightv Within the adjacent member, and means con.- necting the countervveight and. the eXtensionI to thereby substantially counterbalance the Weight of the sash..

9. A' Windowv frameI and'sash construction.

comprising a pairyoflaterally spaced, vertically disposed frame' members, each. of said members having ai guidevvay4 extending through its Wall and communicating Withits.v

interior, avertically extending channel rail disposedwithin eachmember adjacent the guidevvay, a pair of sashes .disposed between thev members vand provided. with extensionsk respectively projecting through the guide- Ways in the frame members, rollers disposed adjacent the upper and lower. ends ofeach extension and cooperative with the adjacent channel vrail to maintain thesash in substantially horizontal position throughout its range of vertical movement, a eounterweight Within the adj acentmember, means connectingthe counterweight andthe' extension to thereby substantially counterbalance the.

'Ivo 

